In 1999 the Institute for Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) at
the University of Illinois received a major grant to conduct a study
of the impact of the state's conversion from cumulative voting to
single-member districts in 1980. The IGPA formed a task force to
analyze different electoral systems and make recommendations.
Co-chaired by former Republican governor Jim Edgar and former
Democratic Congressman and federal judge Abner Mikva, the task force
members included leading state legislators and civic leaders.

The task force has called for reviving
cumulative voting, and the Institute for Government and Public
Affairs has issued an excellent report about their deliberations and
the history of cumulative voting in the state. The Illinois story is
a testimony to the impact of even very modest proportional representation
plans. In this case, it still required close to 25% of the vote to
win a seat in a in three-seat district, but this change was
significant for a broader range of political forces to participate
in elections, win representation and contribute to good
policy-making.

Read the executive summary of the report released July 9 by the Illinois
Task Force on Political Representation and Alternative Electoral
Systems entitled "Illinois should return to cumulative voting" [.pdf 1 MB]

In Detroit, there have been three mayors in the past two years and the current one has come under scrutiny. Perhaps a system like instant runoff voting will help bring political stability to motor city.